<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>A Single Candle by lameafpun</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23829637">A Single Candle</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lameafpun/pseuds/lameafpun'>lameafpun</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>John Wick (Movies), Stardew Valley (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coping, Moving On</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:14:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>706</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23829637</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lameafpun/pseuds/lameafpun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Happiness is fleeting and so John decides to go and find something that isn't weighed down by memories of what he's lost.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Single Candle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Cotton sheets scraped against his skin. It felt too rough, too raw, the scent of Helen’s floral perfume like poison. Sighing roughly, John sat up. Daisy chuffed in her sleep, prompting a surge of fondness and a gentle ear rub that made her tail wag, even in sleep.</p><p class="p1">“Good dog.”</p><p class="p1">The cold bathroom tile was like ice, sending him further into wakefulness than he was comfortable. He didn’t turn the light on. No need to see what he looked like this early in the morning.</p><p class="p1">Walking back into the bedroom was painful. He’d had months to adjust, to accept, and yet as he stood in the doorway, looking at the too large bed, smelling the perfume that had soaked into him as much as the house, he came to a conclusion. No acceptance would be found in his heart; just the knowledge that, for everything he had been, for everything he was, he couldn’t do anything in the face of this.</p><p class="p1">“Daisy, you’d like a greener place to run around, wouldn’t you.” Her legs worked, as if in response to him, as she chased little woodland animals in her dreams.</p><p class="p1">Well, that was as good an answer as any.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">-</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">Pelican Town wasn’t much of a town with its population that didn’t even reach triple digits. It looked like the type of place a city goer would look up at the sky and be struck dumb by the sight of the stars, left unharmed by the light pollution that ravaged city skies.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The bus driver had been fairly friendly, though. Outright jolly, if John had anything to say about it. He’d managed to fill both roles that were usually involved in having a conversation with details about the town, the natural beauty that you’d miss in other, more crowded places, and how he’d never leave it if someone held a gun to his head. If John were an asshole he could’ve taken that as a challenge and see if a gun really wouldn’t change Tony’s opinion. Daisy seemed fond of Tony, though, and his warm way of speaking. The friendly pats he’d bestowed upon the dog when they’d first got on couldn’t have hurt either. John scratched behind Daisy’s ears absentmindedly.</p><p class="p1">“So you comin’ to town for the Spring Festival? Suggs really knocks it out of the park when it comes to festival food and don’t tell Gary — he’s really attached to the carnival aspect of it but, y’know, two or three tents isn’t really a festival — but Suggs food makes the entire festival worth it.”</p><p class="p1">“I’ll keep that in mind.”</p><p class="p1">Tony grins. “Don’t think I didn’t catch that, stranger. Not coming to town for the festival? What brings you to our humble town?”<br/>“Bought some property.”</p><p class="p1">The clear attempt to close the conversation doesn’t deter Tony. He smiles — that must be his default, John notes — and laughs.</p><p class="p1">“Bought the Jenkin’s old farm, did ya? Didn’t take you for one, stranger. Just trying to get away from city life?”</p><p class="p1">The extended silence in the wake of that question didn’t seem to bother Tony.</p><p class="p1">“Ah well, we all have our reasons. City life can get a bit too much once in a while. Well, here we are!”</p><p class="p1">The bus rolled to a stop on the side of the road, which was about what John was expecting. No terminal was needed when the bus could take the entire town and still have some seats left over. He descended the stairs without much fanfare, Daisy bouncing behind him. As soon as he stepped off she shot off into the trees, chasing after the squirrels as she went.</p><p class="p1">“Well, welcome to town! Don’t be a stranger, come to the inn some times and I’ll buy you a drink!” Tony waves, smiling even as John returns with not half the enthusiasm.</p><p class="p1">Small town hospitality was an experience.</p><p class="p1">“Here, Daisy!” She bursts out from a bush, a stick in her jaws and an eager look on her face, the universal doggy look of ‘pleeeeeeease?’</p><p class="p1">John takes the stick and throws it, watching as Daisy chases after it and nearly trips over her own paws in sheer excitement. He doesn’t smile, but there aren’t as many wrinkles in his brow as there was yesterday.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>but like what if john wick just fucked off into the countryside and was happy: a fanfiction. continuation is possible but also that depends with how much i'll drive myself crazy with the timeline.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>